Ladder leveling device



v Patented June 29, 1948 UNITED STAT LADDER LEVELING DEVICE Herman C.Thi, Atlanta, Ga. I ApplicatioriMar'ch so, 1945,'S erial No. 585,615

3 Claims. (CL 228-433) This invention relates to ladders and moreparticularly to an extension device adapted to be used with eitherstraight ladders or so-called stepladders of the self-supporting typeand of such a construction that it'can' be'used singly witha single legof a ladder or, if preferred, in connection with both legs and by meansof which the length of the respective ladder legs can be varied asdesired toconform with the contour of the ground or other surface uponwhich the ladder is positioned.

An object of the present invention is to provide an extension device ofthe character. indi cated which is easily applied'to anystandardmakeladder and which can be manipulated with the use of a, foot, thuseliminating any necessity to bendor use the hands, so that the devicecan b..easilyand safely operated by a single person while controllingthe ladder. j I

Other objects will more-particularly appear in the course of thefollowing detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement andcombinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described andclaimed.

or medial portion lprovided with a plurality of aligned holes I5 adaptedto be selectively engaged with a stud I4 herein illustrated as a screwimbedded in the ladder leg I and projecting from the rear edge thereof.1

'Atension spring I2 connects a lip II formed on theupper end ofthechannel member 3 to the ladder leg I substantially above the normalposition of the channel member so asto tend normally to pullthe channelmember into its upper and retracted positionon the leg.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this speoification as part thereof, inwhich like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the lower end of a ladder showing thepresent invention applied to each of the legs;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a stepladder showing the presentinvention applied to each of the front ladder legs;

Figure 3 is a medial cross-section through the present invention asapplied to a ladder leg;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the lower end of a ladder leg with thepresent invention in position;

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2;and

Figure 6 is a transverse cross-section taken on line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, the device of the present invention isadapted to be used in connection with either a straight ladder asillustrated in Figure 1 or a step-ladder as illustrated in Figure 2, inconnection with either of which ladders the legs are identified by thereference I and the rungs by the reference 2.

To increase the length as desired of either of the ladder legs I achanel-shaped sleeve member 3 is provided adapted to slidably embracethe lower end of the ladder leg I and having its back The sides of thechannel member 3 are bridged adjacent the top by a bridgemember 5 towhich is secured as by bolts or rivets! a resilient tongue 6 the ends ofwhich are arranged to press against the forward edge of'the ladder legI. I

Secured to the bottom of the channel member as by'transverse rivets orbolts 9 is a foot piece 8 adapted to constitute the ground-contactingportion where the ladder is used on a hard surface. F v I For situationswhere the ladder is to be used on the earth, a spur member I6 havingaligned guide slots I I is slidably secured to one ofthe side walls ofthe channel member 3 as by a rivet or bolt I0 passing through thechannel member and the foot piece 8 and by a bolt carrying a wing nut I8extending through the upper slot I1 and the adjacent wall of the channelmember. The lower end of the slide member I6 will be pointed as at 20 toreadily penetrate the earth, and the I slide is provided with afoot-engaging flange I9 by means of which it can be readily lowered intooperative position.

With the structure as thus described, it being desired to lengthen oneor the other of legs I of the ladder, the foot will be applied to thefoot member 8, rocking the channel member 3 rearwardly against thetension of the leaf spring 6, thus disengaging the stud I4 from one ofthe holes I5 in the rear wall of the channel member 3 and furtherpressure downward on the foot piece 8 lowers the channel member againstthe tension of spring I2 to the desired distance below the bottom ofladder leg I whereupon the removal of the foot from the foot member. 8permits the channel member under the tension 01' leaf spring 6 to resumeits normal position in alignment with the ladder leg I and permittingthe stud I4 to reengage the adjacent hole I5 thus securely locking thechannel member 3 in its lowered position. To shorten the ladder leg Ithe channel member is similarly rocked by the application of the footpressure on the member 3 but upon release of the pressure and whileholdsupporting leg and a-bolt- 25 extending from the: supporting legLit-through a slot 23' provided inthe extension part adjacent its upperend. To assure a positive grip between these two members short lengthsof transversely corrugateds-trips 26-21 are secured to the con-frontingfaces of the supporting leg 30 and extension 22 as by screws 28. Whenthe thumb nut 29 .isretracted upon bolt 25 the extension member 22 canbe adjusted up or down on the supporting legs-in and A relocked intopositive association with said leg by thettightening of the nut,thusdrawing the corrugated members 26-21 into. locking engagementas iswell illustrated in Figure-5.

Various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the partsas wellas their proportionslwill readily suggest. themselvesto thoseskilled in the art to readily adapt the same to any stahdard, type t ofladders.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. Extension device for ladders comprising a collar adapted. to slidablyembrace the leg oi a ladder tension means arranged tonormally draw thecollar, upwardly on theleg, interengaging memb.erszon.one. face oi thecollar, and theiadjacent-face of the leg,.tension means on the oppositeface of the collar adjacent its toptadapted to en.- a e'ttheadjacent-face L theleg, foot'engaging meanscarried by -the bottom partof the-collar; that face of the collar carrying the legengaging tensionmeans being cut awayato permit the rocking of the collar against saidtension means tocreleasethe interengaging members.

2. Extension device for ladders comprising a member of channelcross-section adapted to embrace the ladder leg, the sides of saidmember bridged at the upper end, a resilient member mounted on thebridging part to engage the exposed edge of a ladder leg positioned inthe said channel member, interengag-ing members on the opposite edge ofthe ladder leg and the medial part of the channel member, spring meansconnecting; the upper partr of the: channel member tothe ladder leg,afoot engaging part onthe bottom of the channel member and a spur memberslidingly mounted on the channel member with meansfor securing the spurin adjusted position.

3. Extension device for ladders comprising a collaradapted to slidablyembrace the leg of a ladder and to rock with respect to said leg,interengaging members on one face of the collar and the adjacent face ofthe le tension means operative to normally rock the collar intoalignment with the leg and the .interengaging members into engagement,tension. means operative normallyto slide the collar upwardly on theleg, and a foot carried by the collar having a part arranged'to beengaged bythe foot of an operator to rock the collar with respect to theladder leg to disengage the inter-engaging members and permit sliding ofthe collarlengthwise with respect to theleg.

. HERMAN C. THIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 854,152 DeCook May 21, 19071,513,854 Pettiford -7 Nov. 4, 1924' 2,107,629 Dallas Feb; 8, 1938

